In Romans 16, the apostle Paul tells us to note those who cause divisions, and to mark and avoid them. He says in the next breath that one of the things that such divisive people do is “deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Rom. 16:18). This kind of smooth (and sophomoric) talk is very easy to spin out when the faithful are busy trying to divide from the divisive. “Isn’t that a contradiction?” is very easy to say, and the simple fall for it.
But the point here is to consider one step before this. The great Augustine once famously prayed, “Lord, give what you command, and command what thou wilt.” God asks nothing from us but what His Spirit is active in our midst to do already. What He commands of us, He gives to us. If He commands separation from divisiveness, and He does, then He is at work constantly to accomplish separation from divisiveness.
This Table is a winnowing fan, and the wind that comes from it is the Spirit of God. Some of God’s saints do understand that winnowing must happen, but they try to separate the wheat and chaff all by themselves, bringing the grain to the winnowing fan, pre-separated for God’s convenience. And others deny the need for separation, insisting that the Table be offered in absolute stillness, with no wind at all, lest the Spirit give us a disruptive gift we do not want—the gift of shaking us down, dealing with us, causing some to withdraw.
You are the saints of God. You are welcome here. Not only are you welcome here, you are most welcome here. As the Holy Spirit works, let His winnowing wind separate your wheat from your chaff, in order to blow the chaff away. The alternative is to be the chaff. We are convinced of better things in your case.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.